Blake, Davydenko roll on at Indian Wells

Indian Wells, CA – American James Blake and Russian Nikolay Davydenko were first-round winners Friday at the first Masters 1000 event of the year -- the $4.33 million BNP Paribas Open.

Blake downed Robin Haase of The Netherlands, 6-3, 6-4, while Davydenko dismissed Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu, 7-6 (7-1), 6-2 on the hardcourts at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The wild card Blake was a runner-up here in 2006.

The great Roger Federer titled here for the fourth time last year by beating 6-foot-9 American John Isner in the final. The Swiss icon is a perfect 4-0 when he reaches the championship round in the California desert.

The top seeds at this lucrative 11-day event are world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, the former top-ranked Federer, the 2009 Indian Wells runner-up Murray, David Ferrer, and another former No. 1, Rafael Nadal. Djokovic is a two-time champion and former Indian Wells runner-up, while Nadal is also a two-time winner and former runner-up at this tournament. Djokovic will take on Fognini in the second round.

Federer, Djokovic and Nadal have combined to win eight of the last nine titles here.